Printing press attachment



Nov. 7, 1961 J. T. BARNES PRINTING PRESS ATTACHMENT 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 24, 1960 5 N OI L. 0 T R T was I? M nu? A I l I W llll m E m gJ. E 1 H A P R a M R w H @N T mm vLY BIB M mm a N o H A M 8 -il? F m r3- MN f m I. JIM t. 5 5 5 2 on mm on 2 Nov. 7, 1961 J. T. BARNES 3,007,403

PRINTING PRESS ATTACHMENT Filed Aug. 24, 1960 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 lllll l l ul lll Lu INVENTOR. JOSEPH T. BARNES BY MAHONEY, MILLER & RAMBO, ATTY'S.

Nov. 7, 1961 Filed Aug. 24. 1960 J. T. BARNES 3,007,403

PRINTING PRESS ATTACHMENT 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 56 54 H I E! l! iF: r:-

FIG. 4

INVENTOR. JOSEPH T. BARNES BY MAHONEY, MILLER & RAMBO, ATTY'S.

Nov. 7, 1961 J. T. BARNES PRINTING PRESS ATTACHMENT 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Aug. 24, 1960 FIG. 6

INVENTOR. JOSEPH T. BARNES BY MAHONEY, MILLER 8. RAMBO, ATTY'S.

Nov. 7, 1961 J. T. BARNES 3,007,403

- PRINTING PRESS ATTACHMENT 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Aug. 24, 1960 FIG. 8 INVENTOR.

JOSEPH T. BARNES BY MAHONEY, MILLER & RAMBO, ATTY'S Nov. 7, 1961 J. T. BARNES 3,007,403

PRINTING PRESS ATTACHMENT Filed Aug. 24, 1960 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 B 4 wmm) IN VEN TOR. JOSEPH T. BARNES BY MAHONEY, MILLER & RAMBO, ATTYs.

Unite My invention relates to a printing press attachment. It has to do, more particularly, with an attachment which can be readily mounted on a printing press of the letter press type (relief printing) so that the press can also be used, when desired, as a direct lithograph press (planographic printing) which will print images of a nature similar to the images printed at prment by oifset printing.

As is well known, there are many advantages in direct lithographic printing or printing by the offset lithographic printing methods. In recent years, the offset lithographic printing method has become more popular and employs a transfer blanket on a cylinder between the lithograph plate and the impression cylinder. However, for a shop to be able to handle both letter press jobs and ofiset lithograph jobs, it is necessary to have both types of presses. Obviously, since both types of presses are quite expensive, this duplication of press facilities is very costly and uneconomic and is prohibitive to many printing shops, especially the smaller printing shops.

According to the present invention, I provide an attachment which can be applied to an ordinary letter press, preferably of the rotary web-fed type, which is of such design and construction and is applied to the letter press in such a manner that the press can be selectively used as a letter press or as a direct lithographic printing press. The present invention provides an attachment which is simple and inexpensive and which can be mounted on an ordinary letter press with ease. The attachment is such that it can be selectively operated to function with the letter press or to be inoperative so that the letter press can function in the usual manner. When the press is to be used for lithographic printing, the attachment can be easily adjusted into operative position and will function to supply water or other liquid to the plate or image cylinder for the lithographic printing operation, this being the purpose of this attachment, or can be easily adjusted into an inoperative position to interrupt the supply of water to the image cylinder so that the press can be used as an ordinary letter press, with the cylinder now mounting a relief plate for letter press printing.

In the accompanying drawings, I have illustrated the preferred embodiment of my invention but it is to be understood that specific details of the attachment may be varied without departing from basic principles of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a longitudinal or side elevational view of an attachment embodying my invention.

FIGURE 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken along line 2--2 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged end elevational view taken along line 33 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 4 is a vertical sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the water feeding rollers of the attachment.

FIGURE 6 is a View similar to FIGURE 5 but illustrating the rollers in another relative position.

FIGURE 7 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the arrangement of the various cylinders including those of my attachment and the inking mechanism.

FIGURE 8 is a schematic view illustrating the driving arrangement for my attachment.

Patented Nov. 7, 1961 FIGURE 9 is an isometric view, partly broken away, showing the mounting and adjusting means for the attachment.

With reference to the drawings, the attachment of my invention is illustrated in detail best in FIGURES 1 to 4, inclusive, and is designated generally by the numeral 10. It is adapted to be carried by an angle iron or similar support 11 which is usually part of the press frame or which may be provided in proper position on the press frame. My attachment is preferably used with a rotary web-fed press. This press is not illustrated in detail but preferably includes a cylinder and inking arrangement similar to that shown in FIGURE 7, although my attachment is not limited for use with a press having this specific arrangement.

As indicated diagrammatically in FIGURE 7, a letter press of the rotary type usually includes an impression cylinder 15 and a plate or type cylinder 16 associated therewith, which carries a raised image, between which the paper P is passed for printing. Inking rollers are provided in association with the cylinder 16 and include a pair of upper and lower form rollers 17 and 18 which are in contact wtih the cylinder 16. Ink feeding metal rollers 19 and associated rubber-covered rollers 20 are provided for feeding ink to the form rollers 17 and 18 from an ink supplying roller 20 which is supported in the ink fountain or trough 2.1. A doctor roller 20a oscillates between the friction roller 20 and associated roller 19. Thus, the doctor roller 20a operates intermittently between the rollers 19 and 20 to supply ink and the amount of ink supplied by the friction roller 20 is controlled by an associated adjustable doctor blade 23.

When the press is functioning as an ordinary letter press, the cylinder 16 will carry the type plate or other raised printing image and the inking mechanism will function to supply ink thereto. However, when the press is to function as a lithographic press, it is necessary to supply water or other liquid along with the ink to the cylinder 16, which will then carry a lithographic image plate, usually fcrmed of metal, for example, aluminum. For this purpose, I provide the attachment It) in the position shown diagrammatically in FIGURE 7, preferably in cooperation with the lowerrnost inking roller 18. This attachment 10 comprises a series of water feeding rollers including the lowermost metal water supplying roller 25 which is always immersed in a water trough 26, a cloth covered feed roller 27 and a metal transfer roller 28. The rollers 25, 27 and 28 are part of the attachment which is adjustable as a unit relative to the lowermost inking form roller 18 into and out of cooperation therewith. Furthermore, the roller 27 is intermittently movable vertically alternately into and out of contact with the feed roller 25 and the transfer roller 28, respectively.

The unit 10- includes the upstanding vertically disposed bearing supports or standards 30 (FIGURES l and 3) which support the rollers 25, 27 and 28. These standards 30 are connected to and are upstanding from the ends of the water trough 2.6 which may be suitably formed by the parallel longitudinally extending bars 31 and 32 and the bottom plate 33 which are suitably connected together in a watertight manner. The water trough and associated parts are carried for vertical adjustment on the supporting angle member 11. For this purpose, the members 30 are provided with opposed attached tapered guides 35 which cooperate with complemental undercut guideways formed in the guide members 36 and 36a which are fastened to the outer face of the upstanding flange of the angle member 11. The guide 36a may be bolted or welded in a fixed position to the angle 11. The guide 36 may be mounted by pin and slot connections 36b for movement along the member 11. Consequently, the

members 36 may be adjusted relative to the member 36a for receiving the guides 35 to permit vertical movement and guiding of the unit or to permit complete removal of the unit. This adjustment is accomplished by means of a screw 41 which has its inner end rotatably connected to the guide 36 and which is threaded through a lug 42 and axially movable in a lug 43, the two lugs being attached to the angle 11. The entire unit 10 will slide vertically relative to the member 11 and for positioning the unit in proper vertical position, a screw 37 (FIGURE 3) engages the bottom of the water trough 26 at each end thereof. These screws are carried by arms 38 which are pivoted by the bolts 39 to the member 11 for swinging movement beneath and away from the bottom 33 of the trough. For final leveling and clamping of the unit 10, upwardly projecting screws 40 are carried by the water trough 26 and engage the lower surface of the member 11.

The roller 25 may have a selected number of flexible wipers 44 associated therewith to wipe off excess water. These wipers may be carried by clamps 45 which are carried by a bar 46 that is attached by bolts 47 to the wall 32 of the trough 26.

As previously indicated, the rollers 25, 27 and 28 of the attachment 19 are carried by the standards 30 and the manner in which they are mounted is indicated best in FIGURES l, 3 and 4. The lowermost roller 25 is rotatably mounted in a fixed axial position by means of bushings 50 carried at the lower ends of the standards 30. Therefore, the roller 25 will always be immersed in the Water trough 26. Each end of the roller is provided with a shaft portion 25a extending through the bushing 50 which is reduced on the outer end of which there is keyed a star wheel 51.

The cloth covered roller 27 is mounted in the standards 30 for vertical movement therein. For this purpose the roller is provided with a shaft 52 which extends at each end through a vertical slot 53 formed in the standard. Each outer end of this shaft 52 has mounted thereon the inner bearing ring 54 which carries an outer bearing ring 55 through the medium of the ball bearings 56. The shaft 52 is pulled downwardly at each end by means of a spring 57 which is looped around a bearing sleeve 52a rotatably carried by the shaft and which has its ends anchored at 58 to guide bars 59 which are bolted to the standard 30 adjacent the sides of the slot 53. The bearing ring 55 engages these guides 59 to keep the movement of the axis of the shaft 52 in a vertical plane. The springs 57, therefore, pull the shaft 52 downwardly so that the bearing ring 55 is always engaged by the star wheel 51. It wil be noted that this star wheel has the alternating notches and lugs 60 and 61 respectively.

The roller 28 is carried by a shaft 65 which projects at each end outwardly through the slot 53 in the associated bearing standard 30. Each end of the shaft 65 is carried by an eccentric bearing member 66 which is keyed thereto and which rests in a cradle 70 formed in the main part of the standard 30 at its upper end. The eccentric 66 has an outer fiange 67 which has a tool-receiving socket 67a (FIGURE 4) by means of which the eccentric may beadjustably rotated. It will be noted that the end bearing structures 68 of the roller 28 engage the inner surfaces of the standards 30 to prevent axial displacement of the roller 28. Each standard 30 is provided with a removable cap 75 which engages the eccentric 66 and can be clamped thereagainst by means of the bolt 76 extending into the upper end of the standard 30 and a bolt 77 extending completely through the bottom plate 33 of the trough 26, the standard 30, and the cap. Thus, by releasing the clamping bolts and turning the extended flange 67, the eccentrics 66 are turned to raise and lower the roller 28. Pulleys 71 may be provided on the outer ends of the shaft 65 to facilitate handling of the attachment in the initial installation.

It will be apparent that with this attachment by means of the screws 37, upon release of the screw 41, it may be raised into final operative position or lowered into inoperative position. When lowered, the water roller 28 will be spaced from the ink form roller 18 and when raised, the roller 28 will contact the form roller 18, the latter or operative position being shown in FIGURE 7. When the attachment is in its operative position, the rollers 25, 27 and 28 will act in the manner indicated in FIGURES 5 and 6. Rotation of the roller 25 simultaneously rotates the star wheels or earns 51. This cam means will alternately raise and lower the roller 27 relative to the roller 25. Thus, in FIGURE 5 because the lugs 61 of the star wheel 51 are contacting the bearing ring 55, the roller 27 is spaced upwardly away from the roller 25. In the next instant, the succeeding notch 60 receives the bearing 55 and the roller 27 will be lowered into contact with the roller 25 as indicated in FIGURE 6. This intermittent contact and spacing of the rollers 25 and 27 prevents the feeding of too much water from the roller 25 to the roller 27 and eventually to the plate cylinder 16. The roller 28 can be adjusted by the eccentric flanges 67a to properly contact the roller 27. When the roller 27 is up (FIGURE 5) it will contact the roller 28 and when it is down (FIGURE 6) it will be spaced therefrom. Thus, the roller 27 will alternately contact the opposed rollers 25 and 28.

The roller 25 can be driven in any suitable manner but in FIGURE 8 I have illustrated one way in which this can be accomplished. One end of the shaft 25a of the roller 25 carries a gear 80. This gear is engaged by a driving gear 31 on a shaft 82 extending from a gear box 83. The shaft 82 includes a flexible joint 82a to permit vertical movement of the unit 10. The gear box 83 is driven by meshing gears 84 from an electric motor 85. The members 83 and 85 are carried on a suitable support 11a of the press frame which is adjacent the support 11. The speed of the motor 85 may be controlled by a knob 86 in order to obtain various speeds of rotation of the roller 25 and, therefore, determine the amount of water supplied by the roller 25 and eventually to the plate cylinder 16.

It will be apparent from the above description that I provide an attachment which can be applied to an ordinary letter press, usually of the rotary type, in such a manner that the press can be selectively used as a letter press or as a direct lithographic printing press. The attachment is simple and inexpensive and can be mounted easily on an ordinary letter press for supplying water or other liquid used in lithographic printing to the printing cylinder which functions as a lithographic plate cylinder or a raised type cylinder. It can be selectively actuated so that the press can function as an ordinary letter press or as a direct lithographic printing press.

According to the provisions of the patent statutes, the principles of this invention have been explained and have been illustrated and described in what is now considered to represent the best embodiment. However, it is to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. An attachment for a printing press having a printing cylinder to which ink and other liquid is to be supplied and including inking mechanism for said cylinder; said inking mechanism comprising an inking roller engaging said printing cylinder, said attachment comprising a plurality of liquid-supplying rollers carried by a supporting structure, means for adjusting said supporting structure into and out of cooperative relationship with said printing cylinder, said liquid-supplying rollers of said attachment including a first roller which is moved into and out of contact with said inking roller by said movement of said supporting structure, a second roller spaced from the first roller and an intermediate roller, all of said rollers being supported on said supporting structure and said intermediate roller being mounted thereon for movement alternately between said first and second rollers, and means for so movinge said intermediate roller.

2. The combination of claim 1 in which said means for moving said intermediate roller comprises cam means which rotates with said roller and engages said intermediate roller.

3. The combination of claim 1 in which said first roller is carried by said supporting structure through eccentric bearings which are rotatable to adjust said first roller on the support structure relative to said intermediate roller.

4. The combination of claim 3 in which said second roller is disposed in a trough for receiving said liquid.

5. The combination of claim 2 in which said intermediate roller is provided With a shaft disposed in guides in said supporting structure, bearings on said shaft, and said cam means comprises cam members carried by a shaft provided for said second roller, said members engaging said bearings.

6. An attachment according to claim 5 including yieldable means operatively connected to said intermediate roller shaft for holding said bearings in contact with said cam members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

